Example List
This is a list very close to the one that took 16th place in Grand Prix Las Vegas.
| Lands (24) 2 Underground Sea 2 Tropical Island 1 Bayou 1 Forest 1 Swamp 1 Island 3 Misty Rainforest 3 Polluted Delta 3 Wasteland 1 Dark Depths 1 Thespian's Stage 1 Cephalid Coliseum 1 Creeping Tar Pit 1 Bojuka Bog 1 Karakas 1 Cabal Pit Artifacts & Enchantments (1) 1 Pernicious Deed Instants and Sorceries (22) 3 Abrupt Decay 4 Brainstorm 3 Ponder 3 Crop Rotation 3 Thoughtseize 3 Force of Will 2 Life from the Loam 1 Toxic Deluge Planeswalkers (4) 1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor 2 Liliana of the Veil 1 Liliana the Last Hope Creatures (10) 3 Snapcaster Mage 4 Baleful Strix 2 Leovold, Emissary of Trest 1 Nimble Obstructionist | Sideboard (15) 2 Surgical Extraction 3 Thoughtseize 1 Spell Pierce 1 Golgari Charm 1 Flusterstorm 1 Invasive Surgery 1 Pernicious Deed 1 Garruk Relentless 1 Liliana, the Last Hope 2 Sorcerous Spyglass 1 Maelstrom Pulse |
These core, defining cards are essential to the strategy of the deck and should never be taken out of a full 75 card list. Nor should they typically be reduced too far below their stated quantities (e.g. If they are not in the main deck, they should probably be moved to the sideboard rather than removed entirely.) NOTE: Mox Diamond has been replaced with Deathrite Shaman, which has been replaced by more Baleful Strix — the card provides immediate advantage, and provides a stall-tactic for keeping creatures at bay.
Core Cards
| Lands (5) 1 Dark Depths 1 Thespian's Stage 3 Wasteland Planeswalkers (3) 1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor 2 Liliana of the Veil Creatures (7) 4 Baleful Strix 3 Snapcaster Mage Instants (13) 3 Abrupt Decay 4 Brainstorm 3 Crop Rotation 3 Force of Will Sorceries (2) 2 Life from the Loam Tokens (1) 1 Marit Lage |
This totals up to 25 cards, and assuming a core mana-base of 18 colored mana producing lands (recommended), leaves eighteen flex slots (excluding additional flex provided by mana-producing, utility lands).
Utility Cards
These are cards that prove useful in the deck depending on play-style and current meta-game. Typically these cards have synergy with the Crop Rotation / Intuition / Life from the Loam / graveyard value package.
| Lands (12) 1 Academy Ruins 1 Cabal Pit 1 Lonely Sandbar 1 Tranquil Thicket 1 Barren Moor 1 Creeping Tar Pit 1 Maze of Ith 1 Karakas 1 Bojuka Bog 1 Volrath’s Stronghold 1 Mortuary Mire 1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale Graveyard Playables (3) 1 Raven’s Crime 1 Darkblast 1 Worm Harvest Planeswalkers: (3) 1 Garruk Relentless 1 Nissa, Vital Force 1 Liliana the Last Hope Creatures (6) 1 Snapcaster Mage 1 Vendilion Clique 1 Venser, Shaper Savant 1 Nimble Obstructionist 1 Leovold, Emissary of Trest 1 Runic Armasaur Spells (3) 1 Stifle 1 Thoughtseize 1 Collective Brutality |